Monument to the Fallen and Murdered in the East
Pomnik Poległym i Pomordowanym na Wschodzie | |
 The monument in Warsaw | |
 | |
| 52°15′13.55″N20°59′56″E/ 52.2537639°N 20.99889°E | |
| Location | Warsaw |
|---|---|
| Designer | Maksymilian Biskupski |
| Material | Bronze sculpture |
| Height | 7 metres (23 ft) |
| Completion date | 17 September 1995 |
| Dedicated to | Victims of theSoviet repressions of Polish citizens (1939–46) |
TheMonument to the Fallen and Murdered in the Eastis a monument inWarsaw,Polandwhich commemorates the victims of theSoviet invasion of PolandduringWorld War IIandsubsequent repressions.It was unveiled on 17 September 1995, on the 56th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of 1939.
History[edit]
During the era of thePeople's Republic of Poland,thePolish communistauthorities colluded with the Soviet Union to censor information about theSoviet invasion of Polandin 1939 and repressions carried out against the Polish population during the period of Soviet occupation from 1939 - 1941, as well assubsequent repressionsfollowing the Soviet takeover of Poland in 1944-5, in particular - denying Soviet culpability for theKatyn massacreof 1940.[1]After thefall of the communist governments in Central and Eastern Europein 1989, the new authorities in Poland officially endorsed a project to create a number of monuments and memorials commemorating those events.[1]
The Monument to the Fallen and Murdered in the East was designed by Maksymilian Biskupski and is located at the intersection of Muranowska and General Władysław Anders streets in Warsaw.[2][3]Biskupski designed the monument in 1991, construction began on 18 August 1995, and it was officially unveiled on 17 September 1995 - the 56th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of 1939.[1]Attending the unveiling ceremony were thePrimate of PolandJózef Glemp,Chief of General Staff of the Polish ArmyTadeusz Wilecki,President of WarsawMarcin Święcicki,Prime Minister of PolandJózef OleksyandPresident of PolandLech Wałęsa.[1]The monument's construction was underwritten by the Polish government, non-governmental organizations, and private individuals.[1]
Description[edit]
The monument was erected in honour of Poles killed and murdered in the East, in particular thosedeportedtolabour campsin Siberia (after theSoviet invasion of Poland) and the victims of theKatyn massacre.[2][1]It is approximately 7 metres (23 ft) tall and is made out ofbronze.[3]The statue shows a pile of religious symbols (Catholic and Orthodox crosses as well as Jewish and Muslim symbols) on a railwayflatcar,which is set on tracks. Eachrailway sleeperdisplays the names of places from which Polish citizens were deported for use asforced labourersin the USSR, and the names of the camps, collective farms, exile villages and various outposts of the gulag that were their destinations, including the mass murder sites used by the SovietNKVD.[1][4]
One of the crosses commemorates the priestStefan Niedzielak,a Katyn activist who was murdered in mysterious circumstances in 1989. The monument also includes thePolish Cross of Valourand aPolish eaglewith rope around it and the date of the Soviet invasion of Poland displayed underneath.[1]The monument bears two inscriptions:Poległym pomordowanym na Wschodzie( "For those fallen in the East" ), andofiarom agresji sowieckiej 17.IX.1939. Naród 17.IX.1995( "For the victims of Soviet aggression 17.IX.1939. The Polish nation 17.IX.1995" ).[3]
Memorial ceremony and papal visits[edit]
An annual memorial ceremony is held at the monument on 17 September.[4]
Pope John Paul IIprayed here during his seventh Polish pilgrimage in 1999.[5]In 2006, during his pilgrimage to Poland,Pope Benedict XVI'spopemobilewas also taken past this monument (among others) on the way from the airport toWarsaw's cathedral.[6]
See also[edit]
- War crimes in occupied Poland during World War II
- Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union
- Polish prisoners-of-war in the Soviet Union after 1939
- Poles in the Soviet Union
- Gestapo–NKVD Conferences
- Katyn massacre
- Bykivnia Graves
- NKVD prisoner massacres
- Sybirak
- Gulag
- List of World War II prisoner-of-war camps in the Soviet Union
Gallery[edit]
-
The monument viewed from the west -
The railway flatcar -
Religious symbols inside the railway flatcar -
The inscriptions dedicated to the victims -
The railway flatcar viewed from the south -
The Polish eagle on the southern side of the railway flatcar (with rope tied around it and the date of theSoviet invasionunderneath) -
Close up of the railway sleepers showing the names of outposts of theGulaglike Archangielsk -
The railway flatcar -
This stone was added to the monument after Pope John Paul II said a prayer for the victims of Soviet aggression at the site in 1999 -
-
A memorial plaque dedicated to the deported mothers -
Close up of the railway sleepers - many of the victims of Soviet deportation were sent to Siberia
References[edit]
- ^abcdefghWojciech Ziembiński.Z dziejów Pomnika Poległym i Pomordowanym na Wschodzie.[1]Zeszyty Katyńskie(nr 8), Warszawa, p. 127–141 ([2])
- ^ab"Pomnik Poległym i Pomordowanym na Wschodzie (ul. Muranowska)"[Monument to the Fallen and Murdered in the East (Muranowska Street)] (in Polish).Museum of the History of Polish Jews.2014-02-21.Retrieved2014-03-13.
- ^abc"Warszawa - Pomnik Pomordowanym na Wschodzie"[Warsaw - Monument to the Murdered in the East] (in Polish). sztuka.net. 2013.Retrieved2014-03-13.
- ^ab"Pomnik Poległym i Pomordowanym na Wschodzie"[Monument to the Fallen and Murdered in the East] (in Polish). Związek Sybiraków (Association of Siberian Deportees). 1989-01-20.Retrieved2014-03-13.
- ^Górska, Ewa."Dla przyszłości z myślą o przeszłości"[For the future to the past] (in Polish). Niedziela.pl.Retrieved18 March2014.
- ^"Tygodnik Katolicki Niedziela - Benedykt XVI podąża śladami Jana Pawła II"[Catholic Weekly Sunday - Benedict XVI follows in the footsteps of John Paul II] (in Polish). Niedziela.pl. 2012-10-17.Retrieved2014-03-13.
External links[edit]
